☀️ JOIN SPN MOBILE
Forums
New posts
Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
Latest activity
Videos
New media
New comments
Library
Latest reviews
Donate
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Welcome to all New Sikh Philosophy Network Forums!
Explore Sikh Sikhi Sikhism...
Sign up
Log in
Discussions
Interfaith Dialogues
The Value Of Mistakes In Buddhism
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Archived_member14" data-source="post: 134770" data-attributes="member: 586"><p>Aman ji,</p><p></p><p>Sorry to again have to express criticism of an article by this author. </p><p>His intention no doubt is to help and show the Buddha’s virtues, but because he does not really appreciate the depth of the Buddha’s wisdom, he goes on to imo, mischaracterize everything. </p><p></p><p>Firstly as I said previously, the Buddha to be, was no ordinary man. Aeons upon aeons ago, he was ripe to become an ‘arahat’ or a fully enlightened person, but out of compassion for all beings, found himself becoming instead a ‘bodhisatta’, a future Buddha. The need to perfect the qualities required to become one, resulted in his having to meet more than 20 other Buddha’s down the road. </p><p></p><p>The author in his attempt to inspire his readers, who are likely seeking quick fixes, ends up trying to fit everything as occurring in this one lifetime alone, including comparing us all to Siddhartha, the bodhisatta at his ripest. This obviously feeds into his own ignorance as he does not have a clue as to the depth of the Buddha’s wisdom and ends up invariably moving further and further away from the required understanding. </p><p></p><p>The correct development leading to enlightenment comes with it an increased appreciation and hence respect for the Triple Gem, namely, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. In other words no one in his correct mind would compare himself to Siddhartha, let alone characterizing him as ‘Sid’. Besides one who is to become a Buddha in that particular lifetime, would not be born in a world like the one we have today, where the percentage is almost zero, those who can understand the depth of his teachings.</p><p></p><p>But now let me go on to try and substantiate my claim.</p><p></p><p>======</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>>Many people look to Siddhartha Gautama as an example of someone who attained nirvana, a Buddha. Every other week in this column we look at what it might be like if Siddhartha were on his spiritual journey today. How would he combine Buddhism and dating? How would he handle stress in the workplace? "What Would Sid Do?" is devoted to taking an honest look at what we as meditators face in the modern world.<<<<end quote></p><p></p><p>“We as meditators facing the modern world” is itself result of a perversion of perception and recipe for further delusion. There is never a need to identify oneself as this or that nor the world as modern or otherwise. Indeed when it comes down to it, the world in truth is just that fleeting instance of one experience at a time through one of the five senses and the mind. The rest is just our imagination. </p><p></p><p>You learn from what the Buddha taught, and the result is*understanding who you are*! Therefore in taking Siddhartha as example, what would one learn? Nothing! Chances are, one ends up imitating and projecting and therefore perpetuating one’s own ignorance. </p><p></p><p>What the Buddha-to-be experienced, manifested as the different incidents in his life was unique to who he was. After enlightenment he taught about Universal Truths that are needed to be understood as they are. To take the situations in our own lives and imagine how Siddhartha would have reacted with no due consideration to what the Buddha taught is therefore just another game that we play with ourselves. </p><p></p><p>=======</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>>Every other week I'll take on a new question and give some advice based on what I think Sid, a fictional Siddhartha, would do. Here Sid is not yet a Buddha; he's just someone struggling to maintain an open heart on a spiritual path while facing numerous distractions along the way. Because let's face it: you and I are Sid.<<< <end quote></p><p></p><p>He acknowledges that Sid is a fictional character, but it is still misleading since after all he does refer to this as someone who is on his way to become a Buddha. Even if we were to acknowledge the difference between the bodhisatta on one hand and the disciple on the other, when it comes to walking along the Path, it would be more true to the reality of the situation to talk in terms of a gradual ‘development of understanding’ rather than as moving towards ‘enlightenment’. After all, not only we have no clue as to what enlightenment really means, in truth what we really seek is just more happiness.</p><p></p><p>=======</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>>We all make mistakes. Even the historical Buddha had a period when he made the mistake of over-compensating for his luxurious upbringing by becoming an ascetic and starving himself. He tortured himself under the name of spirituality. That's a big mistake. However, he would not have been able to find the middle way between the extremes of luxury and asceticism if he had not experienced both as something other than his cup of tea. In other words, mistakes are not a bad thing; they are the fodder for our spiritual journey.<<< <end quote></p><p></p><p>This is just the author’s own perception. In reality the Buddha to be did not make any mistakes. </p><p>Only with enlightenment could the bodhisatta come upon the correct Path, which is the 4th of the Four Noble Truths. Up until then it would not be that he was mistaken, but that he would necessarily follow by conditions, what was inevitable and best choice. The last of the perfections namely ‘Determination’, needed to come to fruition and this required that the bodhisatta come to face certain situations in order that this happen. A ‘mistake’ implies that there exists a better alternative, but the bodhisatta was himself to come to discover that alternative!</p><p></p><p>The author is talking now from having learnt about the Middle Way which the Buddha taught and judging as a “big mistake” what the bodhisatta did. This is ridiculous indeed. </p><p></p><p>=======</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>> I imagine the first thing Sid would recommend is to take a long, honest look at your mistake. What factors brought you to the point where you made it? Were you speedy? Arrogant? What emotional and mental path took you to the point where you made such a blunder? Once you have figured that out, you can resolve to not make such an error again. Making the same mistake after resolving not to would be like walking backward down the spiritual path. It is also a sign that your regret was likely not genuine.<<< <end quote></p><p></p><p>The Fourth Noble Truth is about the development of understanding the *present moment* and not about introspection. That we think about our past actions is inevitable and although this can sometimes be wholesome, much of the time however, we do so with attachment. To mistake introspection for the Path invariably makes it an object not only of attachment, but also wrong understanding of the way things are. The Buddha gave this teaching to one of his disciples:</p><p></p><p>A Single Excellent Night</p><p>“Let not a person revive the past </p><p>Or on the future build his hopes; </p><p>For the past has been left behind </p><p>And the future has not been reached. </p><p>Instead with insight let him see </p><p>Each presently arisen state; </p><p>Let him know that and be sure of it, </p><p>Invincibly, unshakably. </p><p>Today the effort must be made; </p><p>Tomorrow Death may come. who knows? </p><p>No bargain with Mortality </p><p>Can keep him and his hordes away, </p><p>But one who dwells thus ardently, </p><p>Relentlessly, by day, by night -- </p><p>It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said, </p><p>Who has had a single excellent night.”</p><p></p><p>========</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>> The 11th-century meditation master and teacher Atisha is known for composing a series of pithy lojong, or mind-training, slogans. One of these slogans is "Drive all blames into one." Quite simply put, this slogan refers to the fact that instead of looking to external factors as the source of our mistakes, we need to own up to our experience. As Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote in Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness:<<< <end quote></p><p></p><p>There may be a sincere wish not to engage in evil and other unprofitable courses of action. The solution however is not the use of some kind of ‘psychological technique’. In the absence of right understanding of the present moment, ‘techniques’ serve only the commands of ignorance and craving. Indeed, wisdom will not even conceive of techniques such as suggested above, after all, it knows that this present moment is what needs to be known. In other words, it is precisely this lack of understanding that sees the present moment as the only valid object of study, that ‘methods’ and ‘techniques’ are conceived of. </p><p></p><p>============</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>> When we make mistakes, we often develop a sense of rigidity about ourselves. We either come down hard on ourselves or hard on others. We start blaming an amorphous "they" who ruin everything all the time. This is not helpful.</p><p></p><p>Instead, if you can look to your role in your mistakes, you can honestly see how to avoid them in the future. You can apply a gentle attitude to your exploration, suspending judgment about what a jerk you are. You can develop warmth and have some sympathy for yourself. Then you can acknowledge what you did and resolve not to do it again.</p><p></p><p>Furthermore, you can offset the negative actions you have done in the past by producing positive ones now. It may not be a one-to-one equation where you take your office out for pizza so that they think you're a swell gal. In fact, it may not be related to your mistake at all. However, you can use the knowledge that you have caused some form of harm as fuel for trying to cause some good in this world.<<< <end quote></p><p></p><p>The Path is really very simple but we create unnecessary complications and make a mess of everything.</p><p>Solutions sought and carried out driven by ignorance and craving is often an even bigger problem as it comes with it a mistaking of the Path that which is not. The idea to “offset the negative actions done in the past by producing positive ones” works within the conventional world where all involved are equally deluded. The law of cause and effect dictates that evil deeds done will bring about appropriate results no matter what. Good deeds should be encouraged *because they are good* and not because they will result in good experiences, let alone offsetting a past bad deed and changing another’s perception of oneself.</p><p> </p><p>=========</p><p>Quote:</p><p>>>>Over time, mistakes fade and people mature. Because we all have made mistakes, we all know that at some point we must forgive those of others. If you genuinely acknowledge your errors and work to produce positive actions, people will pick up on that. No one remembers the historical Buddha as someone who made mistakes; they only remember his incredible kindness and wisdom. Even though we make mistakes today, if we endeavor to learn from them, then we, too, will be remembered in the same light.<<<<end quote></p><p></p><p>Often ‘maturity’ happens not as a result of any wisdom, but in fact a self serving means of adaptation. One of the most misleading attitudes is the ‘intention to do good or be a good person’. Failure to understand that which motivates our thoughts and actions but hidden under the cover of ‘good intentions’, brings about much mischief of its own. Of course it is always good to acknowledge one’s errors, however this can easily be as it usually is, out of attachment to ‘self’ the result of which is never good. </p><p></p><p>Better with right understanding know not to revive the past or on the future build hope. An evil done is gone as is any good deed, no use dwelling over either. Better that such an understanding be developed even if the object of this is the former and almost never the latter, than be driven by attachment to self and results, be involved in practices which in the end increases not only attachment but also conceit and wrong understanding. These are two other ways in which ‘self’ manifests, however of the three, “wrong understanding” is the most dangerous.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Archived_member14, post: 134770, member: 586"] Aman ji, Sorry to again have to express criticism of an article by this author. His intention no doubt is to help and show the Buddha’s virtues, but because he does not really appreciate the depth of the Buddha’s wisdom, he goes on to imo, mischaracterize everything. Firstly as I said previously, the Buddha to be, was no ordinary man. Aeons upon aeons ago, he was ripe to become an ‘arahat’ or a fully enlightened person, but out of compassion for all beings, found himself becoming instead a ‘bodhisatta’, a future Buddha. The need to perfect the qualities required to become one, resulted in his having to meet more than 20 other Buddha’s down the road. The author in his attempt to inspire his readers, who are likely seeking quick fixes, ends up trying to fit everything as occurring in this one lifetime alone, including comparing us all to Siddhartha, the bodhisatta at his ripest. This obviously feeds into his own ignorance as he does not have a clue as to the depth of the Buddha’s wisdom and ends up invariably moving further and further away from the required understanding. The correct development leading to enlightenment comes with it an increased appreciation and hence respect for the Triple Gem, namely, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. In other words no one in his correct mind would compare himself to Siddhartha, let alone characterizing him as ‘Sid’. Besides one who is to become a Buddha in that particular lifetime, would not be born in a world like the one we have today, where the percentage is almost zero, those who can understand the depth of his teachings. But now let me go on to try and substantiate my claim. ====== Quote: >>>Many people look to Siddhartha Gautama as an example of someone who attained nirvana, a Buddha. Every other week in this column we look at what it might be like if Siddhartha were on his spiritual journey today. How would he combine Buddhism and dating? How would he handle stress in the workplace? "What Would Sid Do?" is devoted to taking an honest look at what we as meditators face in the modern world.<<<<end quote> “We as meditators facing the modern world” is itself result of a perversion of perception and recipe for further delusion. There is never a need to identify oneself as this or that nor the world as modern or otherwise. Indeed when it comes down to it, the world in truth is just that fleeting instance of one experience at a time through one of the five senses and the mind. The rest is just our imagination. You learn from what the Buddha taught, and the result is*understanding who you are*! Therefore in taking Siddhartha as example, what would one learn? Nothing! Chances are, one ends up imitating and projecting and therefore perpetuating one’s own ignorance. What the Buddha-to-be experienced, manifested as the different incidents in his life was unique to who he was. After enlightenment he taught about Universal Truths that are needed to be understood as they are. To take the situations in our own lives and imagine how Siddhartha would have reacted with no due consideration to what the Buddha taught is therefore just another game that we play with ourselves. ======= Quote: >>>Every other week I'll take on a new question and give some advice based on what I think Sid, a fictional Siddhartha, would do. Here Sid is not yet a Buddha; he's just someone struggling to maintain an open heart on a spiritual path while facing numerous distractions along the way. Because let's face it: you and I are Sid.<<< <end quote> He acknowledges that Sid is a fictional character, but it is still misleading since after all he does refer to this as someone who is on his way to become a Buddha. Even if we were to acknowledge the difference between the bodhisatta on one hand and the disciple on the other, when it comes to walking along the Path, it would be more true to the reality of the situation to talk in terms of a gradual ‘development of understanding’ rather than as moving towards ‘enlightenment’. After all, not only we have no clue as to what enlightenment really means, in truth what we really seek is just more happiness. ======= Quote: >>>We all make mistakes. Even the historical Buddha had a period when he made the mistake of over-compensating for his luxurious upbringing by becoming an ascetic and starving himself. He tortured himself under the name of spirituality. That's a big mistake. However, he would not have been able to find the middle way between the extremes of luxury and asceticism if he had not experienced both as something other than his cup of tea. In other words, mistakes are not a bad thing; they are the fodder for our spiritual journey.<<< <end quote> This is just the author’s own perception. In reality the Buddha to be did not make any mistakes. Only with enlightenment could the bodhisatta come upon the correct Path, which is the 4th of the Four Noble Truths. Up until then it would not be that he was mistaken, but that he would necessarily follow by conditions, what was inevitable and best choice. The last of the perfections namely ‘Determination’, needed to come to fruition and this required that the bodhisatta come to face certain situations in order that this happen. A ‘mistake’ implies that there exists a better alternative, but the bodhisatta was himself to come to discover that alternative! The author is talking now from having learnt about the Middle Way which the Buddha taught and judging as a “big mistake” what the bodhisatta did. This is ridiculous indeed. ======= Quote: >>> I imagine the first thing Sid would recommend is to take a long, honest look at your mistake. What factors brought you to the point where you made it? Were you speedy? Arrogant? What emotional and mental path took you to the point where you made such a blunder? Once you have figured that out, you can resolve to not make such an error again. Making the same mistake after resolving not to would be like walking backward down the spiritual path. It is also a sign that your regret was likely not genuine.<<< <end quote> The Fourth Noble Truth is about the development of understanding the *present moment* and not about introspection. That we think about our past actions is inevitable and although this can sometimes be wholesome, much of the time however, we do so with attachment. To mistake introspection for the Path invariably makes it an object not only of attachment, but also wrong understanding of the way things are. The Buddha gave this teaching to one of his disciples: A Single Excellent Night “Let not a person revive the past Or on the future build his hopes; For the past has been left behind And the future has not been reached. Instead with insight let him see Each presently arisen state; Let him know that and be sure of it, Invincibly, unshakably. Today the effort must be made; Tomorrow Death may come. who knows? No bargain with Mortality Can keep him and his hordes away, But one who dwells thus ardently, Relentlessly, by day, by night -- It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said, Who has had a single excellent night.” ======== Quote: >>> The 11th-century meditation master and teacher Atisha is known for composing a series of pithy lojong, or mind-training, slogans. One of these slogans is "Drive all blames into one." Quite simply put, this slogan refers to the fact that instead of looking to external factors as the source of our mistakes, we need to own up to our experience. As Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote in Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness:<<< <end quote> There may be a sincere wish not to engage in evil and other unprofitable courses of action. The solution however is not the use of some kind of ‘psychological technique’. In the absence of right understanding of the present moment, ‘techniques’ serve only the commands of ignorance and craving. Indeed, wisdom will not even conceive of techniques such as suggested above, after all, it knows that this present moment is what needs to be known. In other words, it is precisely this lack of understanding that sees the present moment as the only valid object of study, that ‘methods’ and ‘techniques’ are conceived of. ============ Quote: >>> When we make mistakes, we often develop a sense of rigidity about ourselves. We either come down hard on ourselves or hard on others. We start blaming an amorphous "they" who ruin everything all the time. This is not helpful. Instead, if you can look to your role in your mistakes, you can honestly see how to avoid them in the future. You can apply a gentle attitude to your exploration, suspending judgment about what a jerk you are. You can develop warmth and have some sympathy for yourself. Then you can acknowledge what you did and resolve not to do it again. Furthermore, you can offset the negative actions you have done in the past by producing positive ones now. It may not be a one-to-one equation where you take your office out for pizza so that they think you're a swell gal. In fact, it may not be related to your mistake at all. However, you can use the knowledge that you have caused some form of harm as fuel for trying to cause some good in this world.<<< <end quote> The Path is really very simple but we create unnecessary complications and make a mess of everything. Solutions sought and carried out driven by ignorance and craving is often an even bigger problem as it comes with it a mistaking of the Path that which is not. The idea to “offset the negative actions done in the past by producing positive ones” works within the conventional world where all involved are equally deluded. The law of cause and effect dictates that evil deeds done will bring about appropriate results no matter what. Good deeds should be encouraged *because they are good* and not because they will result in good experiences, let alone offsetting a past bad deed and changing another’s perception of oneself. ========= Quote: >>>Over time, mistakes fade and people mature. Because we all have made mistakes, we all know that at some point we must forgive those of others. If you genuinely acknowledge your errors and work to produce positive actions, people will pick up on that. No one remembers the historical Buddha as someone who made mistakes; they only remember his incredible kindness and wisdom. Even though we make mistakes today, if we endeavor to learn from them, then we, too, will be remembered in the same light.<<<<end quote> Often ‘maturity’ happens not as a result of any wisdom, but in fact a self serving means of adaptation. One of the most misleading attitudes is the ‘intention to do good or be a good person’. Failure to understand that which motivates our thoughts and actions but hidden under the cover of ‘good intentions’, brings about much mischief of its own. Of course it is always good to acknowledge one’s errors, however this can easily be as it usually is, out of attachment to ‘self’ the result of which is never good. Better with right understanding know not to revive the past or on the future build hope. An evil done is gone as is any good deed, no use dwelling over either. Better that such an understanding be developed even if the object of this is the former and almost never the latter, than be driven by attachment to self and results, be involved in practices which in the end increases not only attachment but also conceit and wrong understanding. These are two other ways in which ‘self’ manifests, however of the three, “wrong understanding” is the most dangerous. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Discussions
Interfaith Dialogues
The Value Of Mistakes In Buddhism
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top